


Marinette is having Issues

by Bronywn, crazyjc



Series: The Life and Times of Marinette Drake [7]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Batfam check in for a bit, Drakes A+ parenting, Leeanna is back, Some comfort, Sorry Not Sorry, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, This hurts, Tim angst again, Uneditted, finally writing again., jason is still dead, no betas we die like men, slade fluff, tim is robin, uncle slade is whipped, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27708398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bronywn/pseuds/Bronywn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyjc/pseuds/crazyjc
Summary: Miraculous Assemble speed run, batfam check-in summary AND more. some angst, but some comfort.BIG REMINDER this is NOT A STAND ALONE. it makes little sense without the rest of the series.
Series: The Life and Times of Marinette Drake [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700302
Comments: 40
Kudos: 154





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I live. Sort of. Life is… not the best right now so I went back to working on original things when I wasn’t in read all the villainess manga/manwha mode. Thanks for the patience, and sorry it took so long!

Marinette had no idea what to do with the current akuma. It wasn’t it was a hard one (it was Mr. Pigeon, again) but she wasn’t sure how to, uh… stop it from happening again.

Well, that and Alix was not letting her leave her sight—something about Mari needing someone around that could sign if she lost her voice again. and yes, it happens a lot during akuma attacks but not because it reminds her of that night. (The one she lost everything after. The one that took Tim-Tam from her. And Jason. And her name (not a Drake anymore.))

Thankfully (or not) she noticed the old guy from the first attack, and let him distract Alix.

(She missed yet another new weight being added to her bag.)

“Marinette, we need to hurry!” Tikki reminded her.

And she did.

Her and Chat saved the day.

Alix scolded Marinette for running off again—especially as their parents were trying to install a buddy system for these things. (Marinette noted how Mr. Kubdel referred to her last additions to her Emergency Bible as “well thought-out” only after looking at his weird timepiece. It wasn’t like the ones she’d seen before—both too old in design and weathering to be new, but the metal wasn’t one she’d seen before… she tried not to think about it for long. He called it an heirloom, and said it was going to be Alix’s when she was bigger. He said Marinette was doing a very good job of preparing her for that responsibility, and to let her help Marinette. Marinette wasn’t sure what to do with that still…)

Marinette went home to overhead Uncle Andre arguing with some politician again (she tried not to keep recordings this time… they didn’t do any good last time) before he asked to borrow _her_ emergency bible to see her updates.

With a huff, Marinette allowed it.

Chloe was still at school for post-attack ‘calming breaths’ that didn’t work on Marinette. Instead, she had to go back and work with her hands. today she was going to do lacework—it takes a lot of time and she needs to focus on it.

Tikki is always quiet when she does this sort of thing.

She missed Tikki grabbing the box Marinette didn’t notice before, and her placing it on Chloe’s bed.

Chloe would later see it and try on a bee-theme comb, intent on showing off to her wasp-centric bestie.

Only an oversized bee flew from it and explained what a kwami was and her new job—helping Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Her only hang-up was that it wasn’t Marinette getting to use the Bee. It would have been perfect for her friend—especially from Before she came to live with them. (It was close to the “anniversary” of Marinette’s accident. It might cheer her up.)

Pollen was insistent Chloe not tell a soul.

So she didn’t.

\--

Marinette had an epiphany on how to prevent akuma. She asked for there to be meditation spots and ‘cool down’ places set up around Paris. Vent-rooms online were made for people to get their feelings out fast.

Re-akuma rates dropped.

Uncle Andre called her a genius.

Mme. Tsurugi began to shift her lessons from mostly etiquette to teaching her ancient strategies in battle, common ancient issues and ways to prevent them with what one has. Alix began appearing at some of her lessons with Mr. Kubdel when going in-depth over some battles, sometimes arguing in front of her and Alix and even Kagami.

Marinette found herself smiling more during lessons, and having an easier time talking sometimes. She preferred to sign, but more often she could sign and (in a raspy voice sometimes) talk verbally as she did.

Max’s mom gave everyone “emergency kits”.

Kim’s parents kept saying that there was no way Kim would do anything dangerous enough to need one.

Kim, Marinette, Alix and Max shared a look, but didn’t say anything on the subject.

\--

Chat and Ladybug decided having a third made their lives Much Easier. Especially when it was hard for Ladybug to escape her civilian life (Chat knew her friends were pretty protective, and he kind of wishes he had more like hers).

He was excited for the statue unveiling of him and Ladybug—Queenie wasn’t included since the guy didn’t know about her until it was almost done. She gets an addition later on… to her annoyance.

Sometimes Queen Bee reminds him of his best not-a-boy friend, Chloe. Then he remembers that Butler Jean is rarely not hovering over her, so she can’t be one Queen Bee.

Then a man in a strange mask started showed up during an akuma attack after the unveiling. Only he was yelling at them… for not fighting better and demanding to know who trained them.

Ladybug said she trained herself for the most part—her teacher said she wasn’t ready for anything but dodging and some block work yet. Chat said he kind of guesses. Queen Bee proudly stated from TV. Their answers did nothing but infuriate the masked man, who they later learned was named Slade.

That was how the trio ended up with Uncle Slade, now their akuma fight trainer.

It was a good thing he was training with the Anges too. and that Adrien was now Blanc, with Chloe as his Noire. Kagami was notablely Rouge. And “Teacher Ange” Leeanna was dragged into their training sessions.

Mostly they consisted of roof running, ‘how to punch, kick, and dodge’ and weapon repurposing.

As Adrien, he tried to ignore that both Kagami and Marinette were a force with any mid-distance weapon. Marinette really likes throwing weapons, and ones where she gets very direct contact with her attacker if they made her mad. Otherwise she likes distance and running away. Kagami likes ones she can ‘stab’ with while being eerily quiet and attack even harder than before.

Chloe and Kagami having the same weapon style preference (stab) but different range preferences (Kagami likes more distance, Chloe likes to get in your face) is another thing he decided to ignore.

He did choose to file those away as ‘reasons girls are scary’ and put them both on his ‘do not anger ever’ list.

Alix using her speed and Kim using anything staff-like given to him to hit people with Mairnette correcting his form with Adrien led to Uncle Slade once more interrogating them. Adrien claimed he learned from watching Chat Noir, and paying attention to the videos. Marinette went with “my brother tries to show me over our video chats with his friends” was accepted without further questioning.

Adrien had questions. Chloe told him they were off-limits as “Marinette isn’t good talking about it… she gets bad after talks about it” and Adrien Will Not let his friend be sad, okay? Not if he can help it.

\--

Tim didn’t know how to handle taking over Robin at first (not while still looking for his sister) or the training with it. Alfred helped where he could. (Convincing Bruce to let him was hellish. It took saving his life three times after stealing one of Dick’s old robin costumes for Dick to just give him one he made, and to tell Bruce yes, Tim is the new Robin, no, they can’t stop him from doing this. but they can help him be a better hero, can prepare him. And Bruce looked so… not Bruce then. It hurt to think about.)

But now? he has (some) handle on it. he even made a vigilante friend his age—Spoiler. She’s nice. and he may know who she is… Stephanie Brown, daughter of discount Riddler and all around a messy home life. (He thinks she and Jason would have gotten along. She gets along very, very well with Martha Antionette.)

Stephanie just doesn’t know he knows. which, oops?

Or she knows and is pretending not to.

As she can.

He’s talking with her and his sister tonight though and is so, so excited because its not often they can talk and he knows she likes seeing he’s not alone (she whispered she can’t stand him being alone too. and it hurts to hear that so, so much.)

Then his sister’s transmission cuts out not even five minutes in as “not another attack—we just had one!” is the last thing he hears from her.

He and Alfred narrow down that its somewhere in Western Europe that his sister is stuck.

(His heart is in his throat. Stephanie is pale and they don’t know what to do. They’re both heroes and can’t help his sister. What kind of hero can’t save their own sister? Tim.)

Then Martha is back on screen, huffing a bit and says that its over, and no big deal.

Tim hates that attacks are normal for her.

He pretends to be calm but he’s not.

She asks about Jason and Stephanie tells her that the flowers on his grave were just changed a few days ago.

Martha pales.

Tim hates himself all over again (he couldn’t tell her before. He couldn’t put her through that when she’s admitted she’s alone. He—)

She whispers she needs to leave and it takes five weeks before he hears from her again.

She’s wearing a robin necklace. (Jason’s colors to be precise. She knew Robin changed. But not. Oh God.)

“I… I had to go away so I didn’t hurt people where I live now.” was the first thing she said, not looking him in the eye. “My guardian said its okay but Mom and Dad were mad at me… A friend gave me this,” she lifted the necklace and it hurt to see.

It hurt seeing his sister look so dejected. (That wasn’t his Martha. That was her in her ‘public persona’ and he hates it.)

“Since I couldn’t go to his funeral. Mom and Dad said I wasn’t allowed anyways…”

Tim wanted to scream at his parents for that. (She’s their daughter. And Jason was her friend. They should have—)

“They said until I’m all better, I’m not allowed to talk to you anymore.”

(Tim’s heart sank. No. Not again. Please.)

“I’m sorry Tim-Tam.”

Tim’s heart froze when he heard his mother’s voice. “That’s enough. Now get back to your lessons.”

His mother looked at him on the screen for one moment. “Once your grades are up and she’s speaking properly, she will return.”

Tim felt the floor fall out under him. (his sister is traumatized. Her disability stems from trauma. Not all traumas go away… would he ever see her again?)

“Yes Mother.”

For the first time, Tim’s rage isn’t at himself. This time, its his parents.

Bruce tries to comfort him. (its times like this he wishes Bruce was his dad. Then he and Martha would still be together. Jason would probably still be alive—he died on a false lead. Trying to get Martha back.)

\--

Marinette twitches on Hero’s Day. She sees floats of the “Anges” everywhere, and they look a lot like her friends when they all dyed their hair. “blanc” and “noire” were the closest to looking like Adrien and Chloe, but she (hopes) its just modeled after them since they’re the right age and its known the two are blonds.

Leeanna gives Marinette a look when she eyes her bracelets and signature blue jacket and “Bleu” the float.

“I see someone has a favorite.”

She does, but her favorite is the Bee Hero. Because of the Aesthetic. And the stinger is cool.

Max is the one who suggests they just have fun, pulling Marinette out of her mind. She likes it when she’s buddied with Max—he’s logical. He makes sense, and doesn’t mind her silences or rambles.

Then Hawkmoth actually shows up.

Marinette hatches a plan with Tikki. It’s a bit risky but… they need help to capture Hawkmoth.

The mysterious Guardian gives out more miraculous. Pegasus, King Monkey, and Bunnix join their ranks. Marinette thinks she knows who they are because of how they work together. (her idiots. She loves them and wants them out of the battlefield yesterday).

There’s also Carapace at Chat’s side, but he’s hard to place. They do know each other, she can feel it. The same way she knows she knows the other users, but can’t…

But then Hawkmoth shows off his own ally, Mayura.

As Ladybug, she focuses on Hawkmoth with Queen Bee and Bunnix at her side. Chat takes on Mayura with Carapace, Pegasus and King Monkey.

Their enemies get away.

The Guardian calls Marinette to him that night, and she sees That Old Man looking fragile.

He hands her a book—Mr. Agreste’s inspiration book. He whispers a number of things and casts a spell on her. She can read it and all its potions.

He looks sadly at her as “I need an apprentice. I am so sorry, but you’re the only one I can trust with this Ladybug.”

Marinette stays as his apprentice for two more months. In that times he chooses another two users, this one Viperion and Ryuko. Marinette wishes they were there for Heroes’ Day. She knows they would have won that day if they did.

Then the old man—Fu—is compromised.

And Marinette isn’t even 10 yet (seven months away), and she’s asked to stand in his place.

“I’m so sorry, but you’re the only one that can care for the kwamii as they need it, and that I can trust.”

Marinette is crying as she already lost so much, and now she’s losing someone again. (She lost her life, her name, her Tim-Tam. Jason is gone forever. Now Fu is too.)

She accepts—on the condition her team knows now, and are fellow candidates. They can decide the details later, work it out but she can’t hold all this on her own.

Fu agrees before taking away his own memories.

Marinette grieves a mentor she had briefly.

Mme. Tsurgi doesn’t push her in etiquette after that, focusing on her battle tactics, strategy, analysis. She knows the other thinks she’s grieving Jason again (and she is) but doesn’t know about the old man who owned a tea shop and left her with so much on her shoulders.

Her team and her meet up sans-Slade.

She asks them to reveal themselves to her, as she should know as the temporary guardian of all kwami where they’ll be.

Chloe and her do a double take at Adrien.

Four battles after knowing her allies (and better coordinating their attacks, patrols and resources) they have a good idea of who Hawkmoth is.

Adrien hates that its his father.

Nino says it makes sense.

Kagami is neutral to the idea.

Chloe is having a hard time with it.

Marinette… accepts it. She knows her parents are horrible, but it doesn’t mean she or Tim-Tam are.

Max, Kim and Alix… process the idea for a bit.

It takes Marinette mentioning she’s pretty sure her parents break over thirty international laws a day for everyone to stop weird about the idea of Chat Noir’s Dad being evil.

Adrien takes to cuddling her.

Chloe offers (not for the first time) to just adopt Marinette as her sister. She can probably swing it.

Kagami makes the same offer, and suggests Chloe go for adopting Adrien.

The pair fight and for the first time it dawns on Marinette people might just… like her as herself.

The team argues over if and who should tell Slade.

\--

Slade is not an idiot. He knows very well the Anges are Paris’ teen heroes. He knows the blond boy is Chat, that hat is Carapace, and that the Tsurugi is Ryuko. Ladybug is clearly Chloe who’s image of a hero must be her best friend, Marinette. As Chloe leads and Marinette follows, yes, but Marinette is condensed inner strength, endurance, and a survivor. Marinette is obviously channeling Chloe as Queen Bee as who else would be her image of a hero but the person that stood by her in her darkest hour? The computer boy, athlete and skater were too obvious.

Whoever Viperion was, remained a mystery until recently. The musician is now added (kidnapped) for training sessions.

Leeanna hates it.

Slade Wilson does not give a damn, as someone should be training these very talented, magic-powered children, and he wasn’t letting the Teen Titans (who killed his own children) or their parent organizations (the Justice League) get anywhere near them. and contrary to popular belief, he will not let the League of Assassins know of them as he can tell they would prefer a normal-ish life.

Given Marinette is close to graduating high school before she turns ten, he’s not counting her inclinations to normalcy.

Slade is, however, waiting for his undertrained students to tell him their theories on who their enemies are. He won’t make them—Hawkmoth and Mayura are their enemies, he’s merely their combat trainer.

Who also takes them out for ice cream, chaperons their school trips and may or may not be the on-call Marinette and Chloe sitter when the pair need a break from Butler Jean.

But he is not an idiot. He is not their Uncle and he is not overly invested in their personal lives or Max’s inventions (his programing and hacking have improved greatly) or Kim’s breakthroughs with his dyslexia, or Alix’s new medication’s effectiveness. Or Adrien’s clearly unhealthy parents and be aggressively taking the boy out with Chloe and Marinette on short trips around Paris to the zoo or arcades or the park or simple exploration. And he certainly did not give Nino a new headset when his wires snapped the same day. Or work with Kagami on sword techniques and realize the girl can’t stand one handed swords since she’s off balanced very easily, and begin retraining her with two-handed swords as that seemed to do the trick.

Slade is completely uninvolved and is by no means their uncle.

No matter what the kids say.


	2. OUTAKES EXANDED

Claudie Kante knew her son and his friends were prone to dangerous situations. Even before this akuma non-sense began, she had begun to make a list of things the kids would need in emergency situations that they could feasibly carry around with them.

Why?

Paris has been attacked by aliens. By supervillians. By one chaos god in a worldwide scheme that one time.

All of this was before the akuma started up.

She did note that Max had one friend that seemed to understand that anything could happen, little Marinette staying with the Bourgeois while her parents traveled the world. Claudie had her own opinions on that matter—and none of the good for the parents of a girl who clearly needed more time with other students than she did “etiquette” lessons.

(Claudie especially didn’t like the time she saw the girl practicing balancing various things on top of a book on her head. She wanted to have words with the girl’s parents. None of them particularly kind.)

Marinette was clearly aware of what could happen (to her parents or herself, Claudie wasn’t sure) and may have been in an attack before. The way the girl scanned everything the second she entered a room gave that much away. When the Emergency Bible business began, Claudie humored the kids by reading it through, and making a few corrections here and there on details or grammar.

When she found out all the plans were Marinette’s, the two had a (brief) discussion about things that might be useful to keep on-hand, and which kinds were best.

Flashlight with back-up solar, a small mouth-sized air tank, rope (so much rope), clasps, bobby pins and real pins, needle and thread, a variety of bandages, alcohol wipes, and disinfectants. Compass, matchbook (just in case), mirror, swiss army knife (just in case), a whistle, tracker, first aide phamplet (water proof), a roll of ducktape, gas-mask, a small thing of garbage bags, charger and digital map, a radio (hand crank) and some plastic sheeting.

Max’s had his favorite (storable) foods and a few eating utensils.

Marinette’s had a few boxes of instant bread (just add water) and a water bottle with a built in filter.

Kim’s had a plethora of instant food.

Alix’s had a change of (normal) shoes.

Just in case there was an attack and their families couldn’t get to them for a while.

Just in case.

She was almost done when the akuma attacks happened.

And Claudie recognized her son’s chalked up hair on the news with his friends. She knew who the Anges were in an instant and doubled checked her emergency kits—everything ready according to her lists for each kid.

She told their parents to add in a change of clothes in a baggie, as well as a heavy coat to keep in it.

“This is fantastic,” Mr. Kubdel grinned. “I was wondering how to start one of these. Thank you.”

Claudie nodded, knowing well that Alix was liable to stick to the epicenter and help with evacuations as she had before. Possibly with the baby busybody at her side or vice versa.

“This is too much,” Leeanna began.

“We both know a certain someone will find her way to the middle of it all, may as well help her stay prepared.”

Leeanna sighed, looking over at kids playing Ultra Mecha Strike III. “You’re not wrong.”

“Then take it, make sure Marinette keeps hers on her at all times—the same for Alix and Kim.”

It was the Kims that threw Claudie off.

“There’s no way our son would do anything so reckless—he knows where to go if something happens.”

The kids stopped playing and turned to look back.

Claudie felt the floor vanish as Kim—the kid who scaled the school on a whim—he’s not reckless? Him.

“He doesn’t need it,” Mr. Kim insisted.

“I want it—just in case!” Kim called out, nabbing his bag and running back to the group of children.

“He really won’t need it, though it is very kind of you to do this,” Mrs. Kim insisted.

The kids were notably staring between Kim, his parents, and one another.

Claudie wondered if she misheard something.

Kim ducked his head into his knees, but stayed silent.

Max shook his head at his mother and mouthed “denial” at her.

Marinette rolled her eyes while Alix opened and shut her mouth.

\--

Meeting Slade:

Ladybug winced when the icecream man almost got her. The air was freezing where she’d been. It was sloppy work, she knew it.

Chat didn’t.

Queen Bee yelled out “nice dodge!” before continuing her own (questionable) jumping around.

“That was horrendous.”

Ladybug winced as she knew. she would have been creamed if their akuma had half-decent aim.

“Who even trained you!”

Ladybug twisted to see a man in a mask, half black, half orange, glaring at her. like she was the one being bad on purpose. (Mme. Tsurugi didn’t give her the okay to learn defensive yet, okay? Her evasive is great when she’s not air born!)

“Self-taught—trying to get a teacher that will teach me something besides duck, hide, evade.”

The man stilled at that.

Chat turned back to see what was distracting Ladybug.

“Oh, uh, is he on our side?” Chat yelled, hoping over with his staff while Queenie paralyzed Andre the Ice Cream monster.

Ladybug didn’t answer that as she was fairly certain the man was neutral at worst

“Perhaps,” the man answered.

Ladybug wondered if he was or was working for the Guardian—Tikki mentioned him existing but never anything further.

“Oh, cool!” Chat smiled a bit too wide and Marinette wondered if he was Adrien briefly, because that smile was a lot like Adrien’s “model panic” smile. On an older body, yes, but magic. Then threw that thought out the window—his parents would never leave him unattended by tutors or classes or clubs long enough to slip away for battles.

“You, who trained you,” the masked man demanded.

“Uh, why?” Chat asked, running off to destroy the object Queenie held out for him. “Cataclysm!”

“They did a horrendous job, that’s why.”

“Hey! I do a very good job guessing, thank you very much!”

Cold seemed to radiate off the man at that, causing Ladybug to move away from him faster than necessary to catch the akuma.

“Miraculous Ladybug! Bye bye little butterfly.”

The trio bumped fists while yelling “pound it!”

“Wait!”

The trio paused, a bit too easily in the man’s opinion. “Please tell me one of you has had proper training.”

Queen Bee puffed out her chest. “I learned from TV!”

Ladybug swore the man became a tundra. A very frozen, icy tundra that made her want to run.

“Bug out!”

At her next patrol, she would find the masked man waiting on a rooftop.

“From now on, I will be teaching you how to fight.”

“I, what?”

“You said you were looking for a teacher, and clearly your current one is failing to meet your needs. My services are free. The world is better off with less dead children.”

Ladybug opened and closed her mouth before quietly agreeing.

“What should I call you?”

“Slade, you can call me Slade.”

“Alright Slade, when do we start?”

“Now.”

Ladybug reeled back at his lunge, quick critics on form and manually correcting her.

With that, each Miraculous’ patrols became a training session, each one focusing on something else. Ladybug’s focused on evasion, keeping her distance while maintaining a view of her battlefield and allies, as well as how to dodge quickly—not merely hide or evade in close quarters. Chat’s focused on making use of stealth and distraction, proper fighting forms for his body type and how to make use of his flexibility and strengths. Queen Bee’s was focused on proper form, multiple attacks in quick succession, and how to make use of her environment to her advantage.

When he discovered her friends involvement (Emergency Bible Team), Marinette recognized Slade instantly. Slade may have introduced himself as Joe Wilson without his mask, but his voice was the same, and he radiated the same tundra when he found out Mme. Tsurugi was not focusing on any ‘active’ battle tactics for her to employ.

In a week he was doing lessons with all of her friends, with a group session every other day. Chloe and Adrien somehow weaseled their way in. Nino got dragged in by Adrien—mostly as the playlist guy. Then as another student.

Uncle Joe, as the group dubbed him, did not always get along well with Leeanna. Not because they didn’t like each other. No. it was more…

“You can’t just kidnap the kids from their classes after an akuma attack!” Leeanna groaned.

“I did no such thing, I found them and began another lesson on basic group communication.”

“Joe.”

There were other things too. He checked up on them all daily, (and given the daily attacks, not an unwise decision) and took to Marinette, Adrien, and Chloe very, very quickly.

Marinette was pleasantly surprised to find him fluent in sign language, which made talking to him much, much easier. Especially on her bad days.

“You don’t need to push yourself,” he told her while rubbing her back during a bad time. (She could feel that Off-ness again. She was with Tim-Tam and Jason (he’s dead now though. she wasn’t able to stop the Off-ness and he died) and Dick. Then she saw Mr. Wayne being a dummy with the Not-Superman and Lois-Land look-a-like and people were not good and things were too much and—)

“Just breath with me, okay?”

With Chloe, he was quick to redirect her temper from someone’s mistake to whatever was causing it, just like Marinette tried to do.

He always made sure Adrien was included—inviting him out often and letting them all explore and just Be.

She overheard him murmuring to Leeanna that the three reminded him of his kids. The ones that died… that one of his sons was mute (kind of like her) and loves artsy things (just like Adrien and Chloe… and Nino and Alix). His other son was always pushing himself apparently (like her and Max and Kim). He mentioned that he had to stay away from his daughter to try to keep her safe, and that failed (and something clicked then. her… group. Her group was some kind of surrogate for him. he lost his kids, and now he has them to care for… )

Marinette may have hugged him a little harder after that… and asked him how you breath right after losing someone.

She couldn’t say much about identifying things… but he got the jist of it.

Uncle Joe gave her a robin necklace when she mentioned the second Robin was her dead i-wish-he-was-family/also-my-brother’s favorite hero and kept trying to convince her that the then new robin, (the Second Robin, the Robin everyone knows died) was the best Robin since he came from the streets like he did, and totally kicks more butt faster than the first Robin since he doesn’t mess around.

Uncle Joe was the one to hold a small vigil with her. (Chloe was there—she won’t let Marinette face these things alone. So was Butler Jean. Uncle Andre was busy and Aunt Audrey was stuck in New York.)

Uncle Joe made sure to check up on her sometimes two, sometimes three times a day. (always after an akuma attack, and sometimes for lessons, others to check her breathing.) Uncle Joe made sure she wasn’t spiraling and helped ground her like Chloe.

Leeanna let him sit in on some of their lessons on days that made her think of ( _home_ ) Tim and Jason and the Wayne Manor so much and it Hurt. Uncle Joe would distract her with fighting lessons because some times things hurt and she needed to hurt something back because it was too much. Other times she just needed to be held, and Mr. Tundra wasn’t a tundra then, he was warm and felt… felt like Mr. Wayne did. (She wonders if this is what family is supposed to feel like.)

\--

\--

Marinette has a miraculous team meeting—everyone but uncle Joe and Leeanna is there.

Marinette looked over her team in her room. Butler Jean was already given the day off, so they didn’t have to worry about him barging in and asking questions or making comments about their ‘make-believe’ miraculous team meeting.

“I Think,” Marinette began slowly. “That I know who Hawkmoth is.”

The room was full of spikes then, not pointed at her though (Alert, frustrated, shocked).

“Maybe.”

“Well,” Chloe crossed her arms.

“Who is it?” Alix demanded.

“Its not conclusive,” Marinette reminded them. (Though it was, it really was. the inspiration book, akuma sightings, the fact that so many butterflies were spotted around the Agreste Mansion…)

“but.” Marinette hated doing this. hated how it could hurt her friend. “I think it might be Mr. Agreste.”

She let Tikki take it away from there, babbling on about evidence, kwamii sensing another two in the area around Adrien’s house even when Plagg and him were away.

She saw Adrien’s face fall and she knew all too well why. (it sucks. Being a monster’s child… she’s one from two. Knowing makes it better and worse.)

“So what, Adrien’s a double agent or something?” Nino threw out there, daring someone to agree with it. Ready to fight them if they did as not his best friend.

“No, of course not,” Marinette signed.

“I would never!”

“He could be using you,” Kagami murmured.

“He—Father wouldn’t—he…”

Marinette could feel the icey numbness radiating off Chloe, Alix, Kim and Max.

Something in her drops as (she’s much worse than Adrien. She knew. he didn’t.)

“You know,” Marinette began, waiting for everyone’s attention. “My parents break about thirty international laws a day.”

The room was silent when she signed that. She tried to talk and sign at once. “I tried telling people, but they kept saying I was exaggerating. I even kept track of it and was working up a case before…”

_Before they told me I wasn’t a Drake anymore and took everything away._

Chloe grabbed and squeezed her hand before pulling her into a hug. “I told you, say the word and I’ll convince Daddy to make you my sister officially.”

“Nonsense,” Kagami cut in. “I convince my mother to pass her off as a distant relative we adopted into our house officially after her parents had an accident. You should focus on convincing your parents to adopt Adrien—its more believable.”

Marinette didn’t bother trying to meet her (trio) school group’s faces. (if they hate her, its better she knows now.)

“So I say we go after them,” Kim declared.

“Once we finish up with Hawkmoth,” Max amended.

Marinette tried to process what was going on. (they believed her. they want to help her… why?)

Alix leaned forward, thinking something over. “What kind of crimes?”

Marinette blinked. “Mostly drug smuggling and cultural theft.”

Alix smirked at that. “I smell something I can get my Dad to help us with.”

Marinette tried to process the strange… niceness about this. (they don’t have to help her.)

“Wait, am I going to be your brother?” Adrien asked absently, trying not to focus on his father being a villain.

“We’ll need Mommy’s help for that, but maybe. I still think its more believable that Marinette become my sister.”

“What about Tim-Tam?”

“Oh, we’re taking him too.” Chloe stated coolly, ignoring everyone's confused looks... had Marinette not mentioned him to them before? “Kagami, you take Adrien since your mother can leverage being his godmother there.”

Kagami hummed, considering. “He’d have to keep his name then.”

“I like my name?” Adrien looked at Marinette. “I think?”

Marinette shrugged. “They took mine and said I had to earn it back.”

The room exploded at that.

(later that night, during the group sleepover, it would slowly hit Marinette that they might really… actually like her. as Her. not a mask, not Ladybug or Drake or Cheng. But as whoever she chooses to be… and she … she likes that.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i had some ideas and went off.

**Author's Note:**

> any preferences for the Hawkmoth Battle--and should we include Inciting Incident for the drake kids reunion, or let that be its own thing?


End file.
